South Bank

South Bank
an area of the south bank of the River Thames around Waterloo Bridge which is London’s main cultural centre. Most of the centre was built in the 1950s and 1960s. It includes the Hayward Gallery, the National Film Theatre, the Purcell Room concert hall, the Royal Festival Hall and the Royal National Theatre, as well as gardens and areas where people can walk by the river and see outdoor concerts and exhibitions.

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▪ arts complex, London, United Kingdom
      loosely defined area along the south bank of the River Thames in the London borough of Lambeth. It is bordered to the east by Bankside and extends approximately from Blackfriars Bridge (east) to Westminster Bridge (southwest). South Bank is home to a major arts complex—South Bank Centre—that includes Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room, and the Hayward Gallery.

      Royal Festival Hall (1951) is used for concerts, recitals, and dance performances and is the home of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Its seating capacity is more than 3,000 for some types of performances. The Queen Elizabeth Hall, which seats about 1,000, and the smaller Purcell Room were opened in 1967. The Hayward Gallery (1968) hosts a variety of art exhibitions in both indoor and outdoor settings. The Poetry Library, with its 77-seat Voice Box for literary readings, also opened there in 1988.

      Also part of the complex are the National Theatre building (1976), home of the Royal National Theatre; and the National Film Theatre (1957), which grew out of the Festival of Britain (1951) and is the home of the London Film Festival. The Jubilee Gardens, London Eye (a type of enormous Ferris wheel), and London Aquarium are just to the south. Also noteworthy are the Imperial War Museum (once the home of the Bethlem Royal Hospital for the Insane) and Hercules Road, named for the Hercules Buildings, a group of Georgian houses developed by trick rider and theatrical manager Philip Astley (Astley, Philip) and named by him for his circus's strong-man act. One of the first residents of the development was the poet and mystic William Blake (Blake, William), who counted his seven years in Lambeth as among his most productive and prosperous.

      For centuries the riverside district was dominated by industrial plants and warehouses, but the aerial bombings that targeted Waterloo Station and other buildings of London in World War II ruined the area. With the preparations for the Festival of Britain (1951), which was devised as an economic stimulus to London, South Bank was transformed into a leading arts and cultural centre.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • South Bank — deutsch: Südufer, ist der Name von: South Bank (London), Stadtteil von London, England South Bank (Middlesbrough) South Bank (Queensland) Southbank (Victoria) South Bank (York) South Bank Parklands, Brisbane London South Bank University der süda …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • South Bank — the South Bank an important cultural centre on the south bank of the River Thames in London. The ↑National Theatre, the National Film Theatre, the ↑Royal Festival Hall, the Museum of the Moving Image, and the ↑Hayward Gallery are all there …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • South Bank — otherusesThe South Bank is the area in London on the southern bank of the River Thames near Waterloo station that houses a number of important cultural buildings/institutions. The South Bank stretches 2 square miles (5 square kilometres) along… …   Wikipedia

  • South Bank F.C. — Infobox Football club clubname = South Bank FC fullname = South Bank Football Club nickname = shortname = South Bank founded = 1868 ground = Normanby Road Ground capacity = N/ASouth Bank F.C. is a football club based in Middlesbrough, England.… …   Wikipedia

  • South Bank — Original name in latin South Bank Name in other language South Bank in Normanby, South Bank on Tees State code GB Continent/City Europe/London longitude 54.56667 latitude 1.15 altitude 22 Population 0 Date 2010 10 16 …   Cities with a population over 1000 database

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  • South Bank — El London Eye, en South Bank. South Bank ( Ribera sur en castellano) es el área de Londres que queda al sur del río Támesis, próxima a la Estación de Waterloo y que acoge a un importante número de edificios e instituciones culturales. En 1951… …   Wikipedia Español

  • South Bank Parklands, Brisbane — South Bank Parklands is a parkland which was opened to the public on 20 June, 1992. The parkland is located in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia on the transformed site of Brisbane s World Expo 88. TOC Overview South Bank Parklands are located on… …   Wikipedia

  • South Bank, Queensland — South Bank is part of the Brisbane suburb of South Brisbane and is located on the south bank area of the Brisbane River.South Bank is possibly best known for South Bank Parklands which were established on the former site of World Expo 88, as well …   Wikipedia

  • South Bank, York — South Bank is an area to the south of the River Ouse in York. The area is dominated by the Terry s chocolate factory and the numerous streets of terraced housing that surround it. Near the factory is located York Racecourse, which forms part of… …   Wikipedia

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